Southern Missouri plane crash leaves two people dead, police report — Police Department, Missouri

POLICE DEPARTMENT, Missouri — NEOSHO, Mo. — The crash of a Zenith CH701 airplane in southern Missouri on Monday afternoon killed both of the aircraft's two occupants.

Casualties and emergency response

The Newton County (Mo.) Sheriff's Office also responded to the scene.

The Police Department received notification of a possible aircraft crash near Camp Crowder around 1:40 p.m.

Monday, according to a news release from the department.

The location information was broad enough to encompass "a large search area that included portions of Camp Crowder, National Guard training grounds, and areas extending into Newton County," the release states.

Because of the large search zone and limited location information, "locating the aircraft proved challenging," according to the release.

Therefore, police used drones along with ground search teams, ultimately finding the aircraft on top of the former Neosho landfill, authorities reported.

Plane crash under investigation

The Neosho (Mo.) Police Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.